Neutronization of matter in a stellar core and convection during gravitational collapse

The roles of neutrinos and convective instability in collapsing supernovae are considered. Spherically symmetrical computations of the collapse using the Boltzmann equation for the neutrinos lead to the formation of the condition of convective instability, \({\left( {\frac{{\partial P}}{{\partial s}}} \right)_{\rho {Y_l}}}\frac{{ds}}{{dr}} + {\left( {\frac{{\partial P}}{{\partial {Y_L}}}} \right)_{\rho s}}\frac{{d{Y_L}}}{{dr}}\) < 0, in a narrow region of matter accretion above the neutrinosphere. If instability arises in this region, the three-dimensional solution will represent a correction to the spherically symmetrical solution for the gravitational collapse. The mean neutrino energies change only negligibly in the narrow region of accretion. Nuclear statistical equilibrium is usually assumed in the hot proto-neutron stellar core, to simplify the computations of the collapse. Neutronization with the participation of free neutrons is most efficient. However, the decay of nuclei into nucleons is hindered during the collapse, because the density grows too rapidly compared to the growth in the temperature, and an appreciable fraction of the energy is carried away by neutrinos. The entropy of the matter per nucleon is modest at the stellar center. All the energy is in degenerate electrons during the collapse. If the large energy of these degenerate electrons is taken into account, neutrons are efficiently formed, even in cool matter with reduced Y_e (the difference between the numbers of electrons and positrons per nucleon). This process brings about an increase in the optical depth to neutrinos, the appearance of free neutrons, and an increase in the entropy per nucleon at the center. The convectively unstable region at the center increases. The development of large-scale convection is illustrated using a multi-dimensional gas-dynamical model for the evolution of a stationary, unstable state (without taking into account neutrino transport). The time for the development of convective instability (several milliseconds) does not exceed the time for the existence of the unstable region at the center (10ms). The realization of this type of instability is fundamentally different from a spherically symmetrical model. The flux of neutrinos changes and the mean energy of the neutrinos is increased, which has important implications for the detection of neutrinos from supernovae. For these same reasons, the energy absorped in the supernova envelope also changes in the transition to such a multi-dimensional model.     

Influence of Nonlinear Processes in Seismic Foci on Released Energy

—The results of the frequency analysis of seismoacoustic elastic waves radiated from the loaded rock sample source models and of rock bursts records are presented. For both categories of study the fundamental symptoms of nonlinear processes in seismic foci were found and demonstrated. Namely, the wave-field modulation (satellites in the spectra), forced synchronisation (spectra simplification and their transformation into a narrow spectral band), frequency shift to lower values and, finally, coherency of radiation. A new method of amplitude-phase distribution is worked out. All this indicates that nonlinear processes can participate in a seismic source during the energy release. Also, the disagreement between the source sizes observed in the nature and computed by means of linear physics, can be explained by self-organising processes.     

Recent changes in the North Atlantic circulation simulated with eddy-permitting and eddy-resolving ocean models

Three eddy-permitting (1/4°) versions and one eddy-resolving (1/12°) version of the OCCAM ocean model are used to simulate the World Ocean circulation since 1985. The first eddy-permitting simulation has been used extensively in previous studies, and provides a point of reference. A second, improved, eddy-permitting simulation is forced in the same manner as the eddy-resolving simulation, with a dataset based on a blend of NCEP re-analysis and satellite data. The third eddy-permitting simulation is forced with a different dataset, based on the ERA-40 re-analysis data. Inter-comparison of these simulations in the North Atlantic clarifies the relative importance of resolution and choice of forcing dataset, for simulating the mean state and recent variability of the basin-scale circulation in that region. Differences between the first and second eddy-permitting simulations additionally reveal an erroneous influence of sea ice on surface salinity, dense water formation, and the meridional overturning circulation. Simulations are further evaluated in terms of long-term mean ocean heat transport at selected latitudes (for which hydrographic estimates are available) and sea surface temperature errors (relative to observations). By these criteria, closest agreement with observations is obtained for the eddy-resolving simulation. In this simulation, there is also a weak decadal variation in mid-latitudes, with heat transport strongest, by around 0.2 PW, in the mid-1990s. In two of the eddy-permitting simulations, by contrast, heat transport weakens through the study period, by up to 0.4 PW in mid-latitudes. The most notable changes of heat transport in all simulations are linked to a weakening of the subpolar gyre, rather than changes in the meridional overturning circulation. It is concluded that recent changes in the structure of mid-latitude heat transport in the North Atlantic are more accurately represented if eddies are explicitly resolved.     

Structure of pair winds from compact objects with application to emission from bare strange stars

We present the results of numerical simulations of stationary, spherically outflowing, e ^± pair winds, with total luminosities in the range 10³⁴–10⁴² ergs s^?1. In the concrete example described here, the wind injection source is a hot, bare, strange star, predicted to be a powerful source of e ^± pairs created by the Coulomb barrier at the quark surface. We find that photons dominate in the emerging emission, and the emerging photon spectrum is rather hard and differs substantially from the thermal spectrum expected from a neutron star with the same luminosity. This might help distinguish the putative bare strange stars from neutron stars.     

Large-scale Instability during Gravitational Collapse with Neutrino Transport and a Core-Collapse Supernova

Most of the energy released in the gravitational collapse of the cores of massive stars is carried away by neutrinos. Neutrinos play a pivotal role in explaining core-collape supernovae. Currently, mathematical models of the gravitational collapse are based on multi-dimensional gas dynamics and thermonuclear reactions, while neutrino transport is considered in a simplified way. Multidimensional gas dynamics is used with neutrino transport in the flux-limited diffusion approximation to study the role of multi-dimensional effects. The possibility of large-scale convection is discussed, which is interesting both for explaining SN II and for setting up observations to register possible high-energy (?10MeV) neutrinos from the supernova. A new multi-dimensional, multi-temperature gas dynamics method with neutrino transport is presented.     

Perrierite-(La), (La,Ce,Ca)4(Fe2+,Mn)(Ti,Fe3+,Al)4(Si2O7)2O8, a new mineral species from the Eifel volcanic district, Germany

Non-metamict perrierite-(La) discovered in the Dellen pumice quarry, near Mendig, in the Eifel volcanic district, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany has been approved as a new mineral species (IMA no. 2010-089). The mineral was found in the late assemblage of sanidine, phlogopite, pyrophanite, zirconolite, members of the jacobsite-magnetite series, fluorcalciopyrochlore, and zircon. Perrierite-(La) occurs as isolated prismatic crystals up to 0.5 × 1 mm in size within cavities in sanidinite. The new mineral is black with brown streak; it is brittle, with the Mohs hardness of 6 and distinct cleavage parallel to (001). The calculated density is 4.791 g/cm³. The IR spectrum does not contain absorption bands that correspond to H₂O and OH groups. Perrierite-(La) is biaxial (-), α = 1.94(1), β = 2.020(15), γ = 2.040(15), 2V _meas = 50(10)°, 2V _calc = 51°. The chemical composition (electron microprobe, average of seven point analyses, the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratio determined from the X-ray structural data, wt %) is as follows: 3.26 CaO, 22.92 La₂O₃, 19.64 Ce₂O₃, 0.83 Pr₂O₂, 2.09 Nd₂O₃, 0.25 MgO, 2.25 MnO, 3.16 FeO, 5.28 Fe₂O₃, 2.59 Al₂O₃, 16.13 TiO₂, 0.75 Nb₂O₅, and 20.06 SiO₂, total is 99.21. The empirical formula is (La_1.70Ce_1.45Nd_0.15Pr_0.06Ca_0.70)_Σ4.06(Fe _0.53 ²⁺ Mn_0.38Mg_0.08)_Σ0.99(Ti_2.44Fe _0.80 ³⁺ Al_0.62Nb_0.07)_Σ3.93Si_4.04O₂₂. The simplified formula is (La,Ce,Ca)₄(Fe²⁺,Mn)(Ti,Fe³⁺,Al)₄(Si₂O₇)₂O₈. The crystal structure was determined by a single crystal. Perrierite-(La) is monoclinic, space group P2₁/a, and the unit-cell dimensions are as follows: a =13.668(1), b = 5.6601(6), c = 11.743(1) Å, β = 113.64(1)°; V = 832.2(2) ų, Z = 2. The strong reflections in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern are [d, Å (I, %) (hkl)]: 5.19 (40) (110), 3.53 (40) ( $\overline 3 $ 11), 2.96 (100) ( $\overline 3 $ 13, 311), 2.80 (50) (020), 2.14 (50) ( $\overline 4 $ 22, $\overline 3 $ 15, 313), 1.947 (50) (024, 223), 1.657 (40) ( $\overline 4 $ 07, $\overline 4 $ 33, 331). The holotype specimen of perrierite-(La) is deposited at the Fersman Mineralogical Museum, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, with the registration number 4059/1.     

The influence of atmospheric circulation on the dynamics of the intermediate water layer in the eastern part of the St. Anna Trough

This paper discusses the results of unique direct observations over the current velocities in the eastern part of the St. Anna deep-water trough, made in the period from August 2009 until September 2010, and analyzes the physical ways how the temporal variability of currents is formed. The stable northward barotropic transport with an average annual velocity of about 20 cm/s was discovered. It was found that changes in velocity with a characteristic timescale of several weeks occurred synchronously in the entire water column and were determined by the deformation of the sea level field due to long-period disturbances of the large-scale field of ground wind above the northern parts of Barents and Kara seas. For the winds of the southwest and west directions, the sea level??s gradient is formed across the St. Anna Trough and the northward meridional water transport is intensified owing to the geostrophic adjustment. These are verified by the results of numerical simulation.     

新疆东天山图拉尔根大型铜镍矿床硫化物珠滴构造的特征及其对通道式成矿的指示

东天山图拉尔根岩浆铜镍硫化物矿床中产出一种不常见的硫化物珠滴状构造。这些硫化物珠滴粒度在5~20mm左右,是由磁黄铁矿、镍黄铁矿、黄铜矿等硫化物矿物组成的斑杂状硫化物集合体。野外观察发现硫化物珠滴具有各种几何形态,产出在稀疏浸染状硫化物和无矿化的辉石岩之间的部位。对图拉尔根杂岩体中发育的24个硫化物珠滴的统计结果显示,平缓厚层状矿化部位的硫化物珠滴呈水平方向拉长,陡倾薄层状矿化部位的硫化物珠滴呈陡倾拉长,珠滴的拉长方向和矿体的延伸方向一致。这表明在含矿母岩浆上升就位到中上地壳的过程中,硫化物珠滴受到熔浆流动的控制,因而其形态可以很好地指示通道式成矿硫化物熔体运动的方向。 硫化物珠滴的矿相学和电子探针数据表明其具有向地性特征,即磁黄铁矿和镍黄铁矿先结晶,沉淀在下部; 珠滴上部为后结晶的黄铜矿和其它富铜硫化物。这种元素分布可能对贯入块状硫化物矿石同样适用。碲化物和铋化物在硫化物珠滴中的含量明显高于其在早结晶的浸染状硫化物中的含量,表明富Te和Bi等元素及挥发份的熔体是在岩浆演化后期开始富集结晶的。